“I hope so.”
Movement caught her eye, and Teresa turned her head to find Solomon walking toward them, a paper in his hand. She and Amelia both stood to curtsey as he approached, his habitual dark expression warmed by a smile.
Still, Teresa observed the hint of wariness in his green eyes as he looked at her, no doubt put there by her sudden departure the previous evening.
“The artist finished and this is a remarkable likeness of Edward,” he told them, turning the paper so they could view it.
It revealed a rather handsome young man with shaggy hair, a full mouth with large round eyes. “So if the warehouse owner verifies that is the man who rented his structure,” Teresa said slowly, trying to find some hope in being near him, “you have your betrayer.”
“Indeed, yes,” Solomon replied. “But if he swears this is not the man, then we are back to the beginning.”
“When will you show it to him?”
“As Thomas knows which warehouse, I will be forced to wait for him. Possibly as soon as tomorrow.”
And as soon as you know for certain who it is, then you are finished with me. Forcing a smile, Teresa said, “I hope for your sake you find the thief, Sol, though it will certainly hurt to know your friend betrayed you.”
Solomon looked away across the courtyard. “It will hurt, very much so. I would rather it be someone else as Lord Oakshire suggested, another associate who I do business with but do not consider a friend.”
“And none look similar to Mr. Crane or have Irish accents, Your Grace?” Amelia asked.
“No. The others are older, stodgy gentlemen with, what I thought were, impeccable backgrounds.”
“Perhaps one of them adroitly concealed a nefarious history,” Teresa suggested, looking at the drawing again. “I will certainly know this man if ever I see him.”
“Yes, this will most definitely help identify Edward if he is indeed the perpetrator,” Solomon agreed, looking at it again. “The artist is truly a craftsman.”
“You should hire him to draw a picture of you,” Teresa said lightly.
Solomon shook his head with a grin. “No, I think my walls have enough pictures of my forefathers on them.”
“And your heirs should have a painting of you, Your Grace,” Amelia told him.”
“Perhaps.” Solomon carefully folded the drawing and placed it in his inner coat pocket. “One day. Ladies, I must desert your fine company as I have business I must attend to.”
Teresa watched him offer a swift nod, then turn on his heel and depart. She could not help but feel he took her heart with him.
Chapter 24
Solomon Eli Dunn, the Duke of Thornehill
“You just had to be brutally honest with her, did you not?”
As he rode to Aldric’s residence, Solomon scolded himself out loud, unable to forget the look of desperate hurt in her eyes before she turned and walked away from him the evening before. While lying to her was not in his makeup, he knew he did not have to be so truthful, either. “What a conundrum,” he muttered. “Lie to her and say I do not love her when I do, or admit I do love her and be unable to commit to her.”
Despite knowing he needed to work through his feelings, to know whether or not he was truly his father’s son, Solomon had no idea what to do. His love for Teresa was real enough certainly. Is she a means to an end after all or is she truly a life partner?
None of his casual liaisons had ever made him feel this way. No noble heiress who wanted to catch the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom ever drew his attention for more than a moment.
“So here I am falling for an opinionated bluestocking who scandalizes society by wearing her hair down.” Solomon chuckled to himself. “We certainly are a matched pair, the two of us.”
Upon presenting his calling card to Aldric’s butler, he was immediately shown to the library. Aldric rose to greet him with a grin and a handshake. “How goes the investigation, Sol?”
Pulling the drawing from his pocket, Solomon unfolded the paper and handed it to him. “I plan to show that to a warehouse owner who rented a warehouse to a blond young man with an Irish brogue.”
Aldric nodded with his brow lifted. “A very good likeness of Edward. And he would be clever enough to disguise his accent.”
“If he confirms that this is the individual who he rented space to, then I know.” Solomon took the paper back and returned it to his pocket. He sighed.
“I know that look,” Aldric stated firmly. “You need a drink.”
Rising stiffly, he went to a nearby table and poured two tumblers of whiskey. Handing one to Solomon he returned to his armchair with a wince. “Now what is wrong? Outside of the obvious, that is.”
“It is Teresa,” Solomon replied, swallowing a mouthful of the golden liquid. “She is in love with me.”
“And?” Aldric stretched the word out. “I can tell you have a high regard for her, even affection.”
“I believe I am in love with her, too.”
“While I have not yet met the young lady,” Aldric commented, “from what you say of her she is an excellent match in all ways save she is not of high noble blood. But that is hardly a deterrent these days. If you both are in love with each other, what is the problem?”
Solomon glanced down at his drink. “Can I commit to her, Aldric? I have never been afraid of anything except that – commitment.”
“I thought you were too honorable to lie, Sol.”
Startled, Solomon lifted his gaze and stared at Aldric. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“You are lying to yourself,” Aldric told him calmly. “You keep telling yourself that when in truth – it is not true. You make commitments all the time.”
“All those women were casual relationships only.”
“I am not referring to your lady friends. I am talking about friendships. You made one to me, to Edward, to Evan, Percy.”
“That is not the same thing and you know it.”
“Do I?” Aldric leaned forward. “Did your father have close friends?”
“Of course,” Solomon snorted. “Yours.”
“No. My father and yours were only strong acquaintances, Sol. They were not close. My father told me he liked and respected your father, but that was as far as it went. Yes, they went to White’s and had a few meals together, but they never talked about personal things, only business.”
“Was your father the only one to feel that way? What about my father’s other friends?”
“From what my father told me, the old Duke was well respected, honorable in his dealings, but never a warm person.”
Solomon stood and paced to the window to stare out, his drink in his hand. “I had no idea. I always had the impression he was warm and well loved among the people he knew, and cold only to his family.”
“Liked and respected yes,” Aldric agreed. “Not loved.”
“And I am?”
Aldric chuckled. “By everyone I know of. But there are always those husbands you insulted with your dallying with their wives, however.”
Solomon waved his hand. “I earned their enmity, I will admit. I am no saint as you well know.”
“And I would trust that once you do marry, you will be faithful. Right?”
With a smile, Solomon half turned. “I am honorable, after all. Of course.”
“Good. I would hate to take you to task for infidelity toward your own wife. Especially if you love her.”
“Challenge me to a duel, eh? You will not have to do that, old friend. If I can indeed commit to a wife, I will do so with all my heart.”
Aldric eyed him askance. “I would not challenge you. I would simply beat some sense into you.”
Chuckling, Solomon sipped his drink. “And I would let you for I would have deserved it.” Remembering the expression of desperate unhappiness in Teresa’s eyes, he shook his head. “However, I may have inadvertently driven her away for good, Aldric.”
“Why do you think you have?”
“Because I stupidly confessed to her that I cannot make a commitment.”
Aldric winced. “Ouch. That was not something you should have done. In my opinion, women are stronger than we are, yet in many ways they are so very fragile. Once you realize for yourself that you can make a decent husband to her, you must tell her. Let her know how you feel.”
“I am not very good at that sort of thing.”
“I suspect you will have to learn, or risk losing something you hold dear. She will not sit around and wait for you, Sol. Another man will eventually offer her what she needs and she will be gone from you.”
“I know. You are quite right, Aldric,” Solomon admitted. “She has become quite popular with the gentlemen at the parties now that she has learned how to control her anxieties while in the midst of a group. Any one of them will not hesitate to ask her to marry him.”
“Do you want to marry her?”
Taking time to ponder Aldric’s question, Solomon finally said, “I do not know yet. While I have no wish to lose her, I cannot ask her to do so at this time. Not until after I resolve this problem of who is stealing from me, and who wishes to kill the both of us. I need time.”
Aldric nodded, sipping his drink. “I would suggest you buy her a gift. If you cannot tell her how you feel, a small present might make her feel more kindly toward you.”
Solomon sat back down. “Perhaps a pendant? A trinket?’
“Exactly. Nothing too extravagant that would make her believe you have stronger intentions, but enough to let her know you do have some feelings of affection toward her.”
“How did you become such an expert on women?”
“I had a few problems while courting Stephanie,” Aldric replied with a small laugh. “I smoothed things over by buying her small gifts. It worked, and now I am a happily married man.”
“I shall take your advice, my friend. Thank you for offering it.”
“No trouble at all, Sol. I feel that this young lady will be good for you.”
Glancing away, Solomon said, “I think so, too. She has changed me, and it is a good thing. She is turning me into a better man.”
Grinning, Aldric lifted his glass. “Then I expect she is the right woman for you. And I am very glad to hear it.”
***
Musing on what Aldric had suggested, Solomon rode toward a reputable jeweler whom he had purchased from in the past. As he had often given his mistresses gifts, he had a pretty good idea of what women liked when it came to necklaces. The shopkeeper bowed, and escorted him to a comfortable chair and offered him tea.
“No, thank you,” Solomon replied, glancing around. “What do you recommend for a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes?”
The jeweler smiled. “I have just the thing, Your Grace. Permit me to bring it to you.”
“Of course.”
The shopkeeper retreated to his work room, and was gone for several moments. Solomon gazed around at the glass cases that held rings, tiaras, necklaces, pocket watches all made from silver and gold. Precious gems graced them in a myriad of colors – white diamonds, red rubies, green emeralds, blue sapphires. Opals, beryls, mother of pearl, amethysts and many more were embedded into the metals Solomon knew the jeweler created himself.
“I think your lady will like this piece very much, Your Grace.”
Solomon glanced up to find the craftsman approaching him with a necklace of gold in his hand. He gingerly placed the pendant in Solomon’s hand, then politely stepped back to permit him to gaze at it. A light blue sapphire winked up at him from a sunburst of gold, a beautiful and intricate piece that Solomon suspected had taken the man a long time to create.
“You are a genius,” Solomon said. “I will take it.”
The jeweler bowed low. “I will send the bill to your steward as usual, Your Grace.”
“Yes, please do.”
After the shopkeeper put the necklace into a small box, Solomon pocketed it and mounted his horse to return home. He had no doubt at all that Teresa would love it, but the more cynical part of him wondered if he was using the gift as a bribe. After all, I never had to buy gifts to retain a lady’s affections.
Even so, he did want to let her know he did care deeply for her, and hoped she would accept the gift for what it was – a gesture of his fondness for her.
Through supper that evening, Teresa avoided his eyes, and while she spoke with lightness, he knew he had done some serious damage with his confession. Mrs. Wolcott kept glancing between them as though hoping Teresa might realize Solomon did indeed care for her as more than simple friendship. Solomon caught Thomas’s eye.
“Might I take your sister for a walk in the courtyard after supper?” he asked.
Startled, Teresa glanced at him for what he thought was the first time, then looked to her brother.
Thomas nodded. “Amelia and I must discuss the rebuilding of our townhouse, so we will have Elsa chaperone.”
“Teresa, would you care to walk with me?”
Though her smile appeared strained to him, she nodded. “That sounds lovely.”
Once the meal was finished, Thomas and Mrs. Wolcott had disappeared in the direction of their guest suite and Elsa summoned as a chaperone, Solomon strolled beside Teresa through the courtyard. Lifting his face to the sky, he watched the moon glow golden in its bed of inky black, eclipsing the nearby stars. “I do not wish you to think ill of me,” he said at last, glancing at Teresa.
In the dim light of shrouded lamps hanging from tree limbs, he barely made out her face. She, too, gazed up at the moon hanging high overhead, and made no reply for a long time. When he would have spoken again, she said, “I am trying not to do that. I believe you truly are fond of me, but your candid explanation made everything clear to my mind.”
“What is clear to you?” Solomon inquired, stepping closer to her. “If it is not obvious in my own head, how can it be in yours?”
“You cannot marry me” she replied, her tone soft. “Though I wish it were otherwise, I will leave you alone to your other pursuits.”
Solomon’s heart wrenched in his chest. “I do not wish that. Please do not give up on me yet, Teresa. Give me some time.”
“Am I to wait on you for years, Sol?” she asked. “Am I to become your mistress, a conquest? I am three and twenty years old. A spinster. If I am to marry, I must find a husband now before I grow too much older.”
“You will not become a conquest,” he growled. “I would never do that to you.”
“Then what am I to you?” Teresa gazed up into his eyes, her own wide and troubled in the light of a nearby lamp. “You cannot make a commitment, you do not love me as I hoped you did, yet I am to wait for you. Why? What am I waiting for?”
Solomon dragged his hands through his hair with a deep sigh. “For me to regain my senses. For this investigation to be finished. I apologize for becoming such a rogue and for not treating you properly, and I hope this will serve to show you how much I care for you.”
Removing the small box from his coat pocket, Solomon held it in one hand while he opened it with the other. “Please accept this small gift as a token of my affections for you. And a promise to do better.”
Tilting it toward the light, he watched her face. Teresa’s lips parted, her brows lifted in stunned amazement. She started to reach for the necklace, then pulled her fingers back and touched them to her throat. “Sol,” she whispered. “I cannot accept this. It is too much.”
His lips quirked upward in a smile. “Yes, you can. I want you to wear this as a reminder that I simply need time to sort things out in my head. Please, Teresa. Give me that time.”
Lifting her face up to his, Teresa stared. “I mean that much to you?”
“You do.”
Teresa’s lips trembled as she reached her hand out again to lift the pendant. “It is so beautiful. I have never seen such color.”
“I think it matches your eyes. Put it on.”
Picking up the necklace, she h
anded it to him by its chain. “Will you put it on me?”
“Certainly.”
Putting the box back in his pocket, Solomon unhooked the latch as Teresa turned her back to him. Reaching over her shoulders, he rested the pendant over her bodice as she lifted her wealth of hair so he might clasp the chain together behind her neck. Turning back to him, she dropped her hair down.
“What does it look like?”
Title Sinful Tales of Desirable Ladies Page 51